Keep Techs in Their Lane | Carla Jackson, Palmetto Air Conditioning

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Summary

Carla Jackson helps run Palmetto Air Conditioning, the Lexington, South Carolina HVAC company her husband Trent founded in 2001. With about 15 technicians and a four-person office, she brought in clear roles, written training manuals for techs and office staff, and a structured onboarding path. She explains how the team rolled out the manuals one section at a time in weekly Tuesday training, how photo and checklist requirements support quality checks after installs, and why every day starts with a short huddle.

Key takeaways

• Clear roles and responsibilities come first; shadowing alone stops working as the team grows.
• Roll out a manual section by section in a weekly training meeting.
• New office hires start on the phones to learn the scheduling system end to end.
• Require photos and checklists on every job, then do quality follow-ups after installs.
• Run a daily morning huddle plus a weekly full-team meeting.

In their words